Endymion Porter and Anton van Dyck. Anton van Dyck

This painting is a portrait of Anton van Dyck and Endymion Porter.

It is the only painting by Van Dyck where he depicts himself with another person.

Endymion Porter is the man dressed in grey silk with a white lace collar.

He was a friend and protector of Van Dyck.

Van Dyck is on the right, dressed in black, and is in profile, his head turned as he looks at the viewer.

Van Dyck wears only one glove on his left hand.

The painting shows 2 elegant men.

The 2 men rest their hands on a stone in the centre of the painting.

This stone is a symbol of their strong friendship.

The oval shape of the painting suggests a close relationship between the 2 men.

Endymion Porter was a significant English diplomat who served as secretary to the Duke of Buckingham.

He was also responsible for buying artworks for the collection of King Charles the First of England.

Porter played a vital role in promoting and supporting the work of the painter Van Dyck.

Thanks to the efforts of Porter, van Dyck was appointed as the official portrait painter to Charles the First.

In the 17th century, painters depicted the social status of people in their paintings.

Porter is a diplomat in this painting and has a more important social status than Van Dyck.

For this reason, Van Dyck painted Porter taller and dressed in a bright colour to make him more visible in the painting.

Van Dyck was a painter from Antwerp, Belgium.

Van Dyck received his training in the workshop of the painter Rubens.

Later, Van Dyck travelled around Italy to study the works of Italian painters.

When Van Dyck returned to Antwerp, he became a very successful painter.

Later, his work got the attention of King Charles the First of England, and Van Dyck was appointed as the official portraitist of the English court.

Van Dyck continued to work for the king until he died at the age of 42.